Four of the biggest energy hogs in Chatham County are on diets as part of an ongoing quest to make Chatham the greenest county in Georgia.

Targeted are the largest buildings the county runs: the detention center; the courthouse; the old courthouse, which now houses administrative offices; and the aquatic center.

Though they range in age from 11 years to 120 years old, these structures exemplify how energy consumption was not a priority for builders in the past, said County Commissioner Pat Shay.

Watch a video of locals explaining how they live green by clicking play on the left.

"For the last 50 years, America has only built Hummers, buildings that are 10 times more robust than they need to be," he said.

A smaller footprint

Retrofits at the aquatic center, including a new mechanical system and roof, are already saving the county more than $90,000-$120,000 annually, said Pat Monahan, assistant county manager.

The old courthouse is getting acrylic window inserts to reduce energy loss by 60 percent while retaining the historic look of the 1890s Romanesque Revival structure.

At the new courthouse, savings will come through an education program aimed at getting employees to switch off lights and computers. Solar panels on a nearby parking structure may provide a sustainable boost to the courthouse's energy supply.

The detention center's expansion is planned with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification at the silver level from the U.S. Green Building Council. Solar energy is likely to be incorporated there, too.

These changes are expected to reduce the county's overall annual energy consumption by 15 percent, or $330,000 over 2007 levels.

Bronze partner

Based in part on these goals, the county was accepted as a bronze level partner in the Department of Natural Resources' Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia.

The program is a way to tap into the state's resources, said program manager Diana Trettin. It's a sort of consulting service with training and auditing available that also makes public the county's goals and holds it accountable to them.

Chatham will be held accountable for its measurable goals, like the 15 percent energy reduction, not for becoming the greenest county in Georgia. But Trettin says the county is in the running for that unofficial title, too.

"They're close," she said, adding that the county will probably soon qualify for her program's silver status.

Bar too low?

Shay admits that Chatham's goal to be the greenest county in Georgia might be akin to being the tallest midget in the circus.

The statewide competition isn't exactly fierce. Still, making Chatham the greenest is the broad goal of the Chatham Environmental Forum, a group of business leaders, environmentalists and government representatives which Shay chairs. It was also adopted as a resolution by the county commission in 2007.

Since then, there has been movement on measurable goals - like those outlined for the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia - to improve the county's environmental chops.

The county has acquired 3,000 acres of conservation land over the last four years. There are (as yet unfunded) plans for a biodiesel plant to produce greener fuel for the county's fleet. The county intends to plant the equivalent of a tree a day.

In all, there are 188 different work assignments in the "Greenest County Plan."

"Whether we're the greenest county in Georgia or not, we need to continue to focus on being as sustainable as possible," Shay said.

Curbside recycling

But unincorporated Chatham's lack of curbside recycling continues to be a thorn among all the greenery.

Savannah has curbside, as do Tybee Island and Garden City. But a proposal for the unincorporated area was tabled last year, mainly for fear that it would cost residents too much.

Since then, activists have started a petition drive to try to force a referendum on the issue. Citizens for Curbside Recycling has collected just over 15,000 signatures, said Karen Grainey. Its goal is to collect by Earth Day in April well over 16,000 names, the number needed to force action.

But there may be another solution coming, Monahan said. Included in the upcoming budget is likely to be a proposal to reorganize the unincorporated county into waste hauling service districts. With more efficient routes, private waste haulers could offer curbside recycling at little to no additional cost.

"We're hoping that savings would be passed on to homeowners," Monahan said. "It would be similar to the way fire services were provided in the early 1990s."

The budgeting process will be concluded by July 1, when the county's new fiscal year begins.

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But unincorporated Chatham's lack of curbside recycling continues to be a thorn among all the greenery."
The lack of lazy recycling is not a thorn, but a reality of the way the trash is handled in the County. Adding another truck/contractor into the mix is insanely wasteful of public funds and I’m glad my representatives in County Government did not allow public pressure to double my trash bill.

"Savannah has curbside, as do Tybee Island and Garden City. But a proposal for the unincorporated area was tabled last year, mainly for fear that it would cost residents too much."

Yes, these cities have a curbside program. Why? Because they have ONE trash hauler not FIVE on the same street! It was easy for them to switch over at a low – low rate of less than $20 a month. Where currently it would cost a County resident like me: $20 a month for trash and $15 for recycling…. I DON’T WANT THAT!

"activists"
Can collect 50,000 tourist, children, city of Savannah signatures, but it does not change the fact of the way trash is being handled or the real cost that will increase every year.

The current impediment to curbside in the unincorporated county is what the county is planning to address:

"Included in the upcoming budget is likely to be a proposal to reorganize the unincorporated county into waste hauling service districts. With more efficient routes, private waste haulers could offer curbside recycling at little to no additional cost."

As for the signature drive, the petition needs to collect about 16,000 signatures from eligible Chatham County residents to force a referendum. There's a process to verify those signatures so children, tourists etc. won't count. They says they plan to collect about 21,000 signatures to make sure they have a sufficient number of valid ones. But it's not just about collecting signatures from unincorporated Chatham County. City of Savannah residents are also tax-paying residents of Chatham County, as are Tybee, Thunderbolt, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth and Vernonburg residents, so their signatures are also valid for the purpose of forcing a referendum on curbside recycling.